Messier 78 - Reflection Nebula in Orion
Messier 78 is a Reflection Nebula in the Orion constellation. Messier 78 is situated close to the celestial equator and, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year.
The image below is a photograph of Messier 78 from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins).
Key facts about Messier 78
Messier 78 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
Altitude: 3.7°
Azimuth: 94.6°
Direction: East
See also Messier 78 rise and set times.
Given its visual magnitude of 8, Messier 78 is visible with the help of a binocular with a 40-50mm aperture or a small telescope.
Photometric information of Messier 78
The following table lists the magnitude of Messier 78 in different bands of the electomagnetic spectrum (when available), from the B band (445nm wavelength, corresponding to the Blue color), to the V band ( 551nm wavelength, corresponding to Green/Yellow color), to the J, H, K bands (corresponding to 1220nm, 1630nm, 2190nm wavelengths respectively, which are colors not visible to the human eye).
For more information about photometry in astronomy, check the photometric system article on Wikipedia.
Apparent size of Messier 78
The following table reports Messier 78 apparent angular size. The green area displayed on top of the DSS2 image of Messier 78 is a visual representation of it.Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Messier 78
Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox of Messier 78 are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky charts below show the position of Messier 78 in the sky. The first chart has a field of view of 60° while the second one has a field of view of 10°.
Rise and set times of Messier 78 from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Messier 78 - Reflection Nebula in Orion rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):